Hearing on Guantanamo prisoner on hunger strike finishes in a closed-door session

WASHINGTON – A court hearing on the treatment of a Guantanamo Bay hunger striker has ended behind closed doors, with U.S. Justice Department lawyers and the legal team for the prisoner watching classified videotapes of the detainee’s treatment.

In a three-day hearing in a federal courtroom, lawyers for Abu Wa’el Dhiab have pressed the argument that their client has been punished for being a hunger striker. The 28 videotapes show Dhiab being forcibly removed from his prison cell, strapped on a restraining chair and force fed.

U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler has ordered the public release of the tapes, once they are edited. Kessler has given no indication how long that might take. In the meantime, the government could appeal.